Not long now.
As we enter the final round of Champions Cup group matches, attention is beginning to focus on Ireland’s Six Nations campaign.
With so much rugby having been played between now and the end of the November series, Ireland’s titantic clashes against New Zealand and Australia seem so long ago.
We made a stab at an Ireland XV for the Six Nations in the immediate aftermath of the November series but with a number of inter-provincial matches taking place, not to mention a load of Champions Cup action, the landscape has shifted somewhat in terms of players’ form and injury profiles.
Ireland begin their Six Nations campaign against Scotland in Murrayfield on the 4th February so with the above in mind, we pick our 23-man squad to face Vern Cotter’s men.
Front Row
Thankfully, Ireland’s starting front row from the November internationals has remained unscathed over the last couple of weeks.
A front row of Jack McGrath, Rory Best and Tadhg Furlong was pretty formidable throughout the November Test series and the trio have performed well for their respective provinces ever since.
As a result, it wouldn’t make any sense to break up such an effective and reliable front three, especially considering all three players could find themselves on the plane to New Zealand in the summer.
Not a bother to him https://t.co/klntbUUUsz
— SportsJOE (@SportsJOEdotie) November 27, 2016
With regards to replacements, Ireland have an embarrasment of riches at present and the debate surrounding who will take the bench positions is probably more difficult than choosing who should start.
Unfortunately, Sean Cronin’s injury will rule him out of the tournament so it looks like the race for the deputy hooker spot will between James Tracy, Richardt Strauss and Niall Scannell.
Tracy’s form has been very good for Leinster and we expect he may well make the bench for Scotland, especially considering he won his first cap for Ireland during November and the fact that he also has a number of games under his belt as opposed to Strauss who is only making his return from injury.
With regards to the back-up loosehead and tighthead positions, Cian Healy (who is improving week by week) and Finlay Bealham look most likely to be on the bench.
Second Row
Ultan Dillane’s ankle injury was not as bad as first feared, nevertheless, he will have to prove his fitness so he will most likely miss out on the opener against the Scots.
With that in mind, we will go with the tried and trusted partnership of Devin Toner and Donnacha Ryan who took to the field in both Tests against the All Blacks.
The lineout was crucial in both tests as a primary source of possession against the world’s best side. Toner’s sheer size makes him almost irreplaceable in the lineout due to his ability to secure so much ball. He is a demon for rucks too.
Ryan is in the form of his life, putting in huge displays for a Munster side who continue to defy the odds this season. He is an incredible line-out operator and gets through a huge amount of work each game. His abilities in defending set pieces will also be crucial.
It’s hard to leave out a man like Iain Henderson but a bench spot will have to do.
Somebody has to take the hit as we will find out in discussing Ireland’s back-row options.
Back Row
When fully fit, its hard to look past the combination of Stander-Heaslip-O’Brien. Thankfully for Ireland, the Tullow Tank is due to be involved in Leinster’s final Champions Cup pool clash with Castres.
If he comes through that unscathed then we will no doubt expect him to be lining out in Murrayfield.
Josh van der Flier rarely has a bad game but O’Brien just offers that sheer explosion of power which very few opensides possess at the same scale.
It’s hard to believe that Peter O’Mahony barely made the bench for November’s clash against Australia. But he reminded the 50,000 people in Lansdowne Road that day and the thousands who were watching at home what Ireland were missing out on.
It is up to the Munster captain however to keep putting in barnstorming carries like that if he is going to take Stander’s place in the team.
Half Backs
Conor Murray and Jonathan Sexton. One of the world’s best half-back partnerships and we’re happy with that.
There’s no disputing this starting pair but their back-up options are a lot more interesting.
Kieran Marmion has found himself to be the back-up to Murray in the last couple of Test matches but Joe Schmidt must reward form and Leinster’s Luke McGrath has just been putting in performance after performance, so we think he deserves his opportunity on the bench.
Paddy Jackson acquitted himself excellently against the Wallabies and he was 100% off the tee. He has played well for Ulster since and Joey Carbery’s injury means this is a no-brainer.
He has now shown that he can step in for Sexton and dictate play to a high enough level where we can beat the top sides.
Midfield
Jared Payne’s kidney injury makes this decision a lot easier. Robbie Henshaw and Garry Ringrose will be Ireland’s starting midfield. The pair have excelled for Leinster this season and they play to each others strengths.
Ringrose continues to score tries which his trademark style of running low to the ground while maintaining speed which very few other players possess.
He did this most recently against Montpellier but also against Australia in November.
Garry Ringrose's try was a first half highlight. Follow the second half action live here: https://t.co/Enb9LCwbej https://t.co/go3LAz33br
— RTÉ Rugby (@RTErugby) November 26, 2016
Back Three
Andrew Trimble and Simon Zebo were brilliant during November’s Test matches. High fielding, line-breaks, smashing rucks, kick-chase and monstrous hits.
You name it, they did it.
Zebo has excelled at the full-back position for Munster ever since but we will keep him on the wing along with Trimble.
Trimble’s form has been OK but he is playing in an Ulster side which continues to disappoint this season. Nevertheless, the Ulster man always performs well for Ireland and his physical presence is a huge asset to this Irish team.
Like the back-row, this is an area of the pitch where we have a lot of depth.
But it would take something remarkable to remove either of these two men from the wing spots.
With regards to full-back, Rob Kearney has reminded us why he won European Player of the Year in 2012. To be fair to Kearney, he really has stepped up his performances this season and put in a good showing from the bench against Montpellier.
We will put him in for a start against Scotland but the Louth man will need to be at his best as Schmidt has a lot of options in this position with Tiernan O’Halloran playing some of the best rugby of his life and Zebo playing excellently for Munster at 15.
We are giving Keith Earls the No.23 jersey, he reminded us of the raw skill and talent that he possesses with an amazing reverse pass to Francis Sailli for their match-winning try against the Glasgow Warriors.
Great vision https://t.co/xVe6hEexMO
— SportsJOE (@SportsJOEdotie) January 15, 2017
He can also cover a plethora of positions which will be crucial for Schmidt.
Replacements: Tracy, Healy, Bealham, Henderson, van der Flier, L McGrath, Jackson, Earls.
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